On Yom Teruah… a traditional prayer called the Avinu, is recited. On this day we acknowledge the gift of forgiveness. But, He is much more than Forgiver. He is Redeemer. He is Deliverer. He is strong in might and strong in battle. This shofar blast is not simply to call us to repentance. It is to remind us of why we are called to repentance. It is a reminder of what comes after…. Victory over the enemy!
Imagine, if you will…..being in a Conestoga wagon heading across the great American Plains.... seeking your fortune and future in the nineteenth century. Over the next rise, in the not-too-distant sunlit landscape, you see a gang of outlaws that you are directly in the path of. Your eyes get big, your heart is beating wildly….and you have nowhere to hide and you can’t run fast enough to escape. Sounds like a nightmare, right?
All of a sudden you hear the sound of a trumpet sounding off in the distance to your right. Here they come, riding faster and raising a dust storm as they come. You expect to see some kind of army….but all you see is dust swirling about and the sound of a trumpet blaring and blasting and sounding crisp and clear in quick staccato tones. Your fear is swallowed up in hope… and certain death is swallowed up in victory. This is the essence of what the sound of the shofar should do for those who hear it.
Each year we gather, realizing that by depending on our own power and abilities, we have been surrounded by the enemy of our soul. But then, the shofar sounds and we realize the King is coming with His army to bring total victory against our enemy.
When the shofar blasts on Yom Teruah, our hearts are reminded that with every year that passes, the King is getting closer and closer. One day soon we will hear the Great Shofar Sound and the enemy will be vanquished. Yom Teruah is intended to keep us watching for His deliverance as we are set free. I am loving these Rehearsals!
Read Psalm 97-99
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+98&version=NKJV
Imagine, if you will…..being in a Conestoga wagon heading across the great American Plains.... seeking your fortune and future in the nineteenth century. Over the next rise, in the not-too-distant sunlit landscape, you see a gang of outlaws that you are directly in the path of. Your eyes get big, your heart is beating wildly….and you have nowhere to hide and you can’t run fast enough to escape. Sounds like a nightmare, right?
All of a sudden you hear the sound of a trumpet sounding off in the distance to your right. Here they come, riding faster and raising a dust storm as they come. You expect to see some kind of army….but all you see is dust swirling about and the sound of a trumpet blaring and blasting and sounding crisp and clear in quick staccato tones. Your fear is swallowed up in hope… and certain death is swallowed up in victory. This is the essence of what the sound of the shofar should do for those who hear it.
Each year we gather, realizing that by depending on our own power and abilities, we have been surrounded by the enemy of our soul. But then, the shofar sounds and we realize the King is coming with His army to bring total victory against our enemy.
When the shofar blasts on Yom Teruah, our hearts are reminded that with every year that passes, the King is getting closer and closer. One day soon we will hear the Great Shofar Sound and the enemy will be vanquished. Yom Teruah is intended to keep us watching for His deliverance as we are set free. I am loving these Rehearsals!
Read Psalm 97-99
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+98&version=NKJV